Footwear protector

ABSTRACT

A device for protecting footwear of a motorcycle rider comprises a sole of a water impermeable material, an upper of bodily flexible material and an adjustable strap for securing the device to footwear of the rider. The device is typically worn on the left foot of the rider because motorcycle transmissions are shifted by the left foot, leaving a characteristic wear pattern on the left shoe or boot of the rider. The upper allows substantial air movement around the rider&#39;s footwear and may be partially or wholly insulated with a foam layer in the upper. Some embodiments provide greater air circulation and less insulation. Two types of adjustable straps are shown.

This invention acts to prevent damage to footwear worn by a motorcyclerider which is caused by shifting the transmission of the motorcycle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To date, motorcycles are equipped with a manually shiftable geartransmission. Typically, shifting of the transmission is done bymanipulation of a lever with a foot of the driver. Motorcycletransmission levers are, to date, universally on the left side of thetransmission case, so it is manipulated with the left foot. The gearshift lever is positioned so the gear shift lever is engaged by the topof the rider's foot, at a location adjacent or rearward of the knuckleof the big toe. The left shoe or boot of a motorcycle rider isaccordingly worn in a characteristic pattern by manipulating the gearshift lever.

A simple footwear protective device that is widely used by practicalmotorcycle riders is simply a large athletic sock that is big enough topass over the rider's footwear. Often, the rider cuts the sock to leavea band of fabric of 3″ or so wide, or of sufficient width to extend fromabout the knuckle of the big toe to or intermediate any shoe lacings.There are many problems with socks as shoe protectors. They don't stayon the foot well at all because the only thing holding them on is theelasticity of the sock fabric and because they tend to roll up. Socksused in this manner quickly become unsightly because they get so dirtythey cannot be washed and they unravel.

In response to this problem, a number of footwear protective deviceshave been proposed in the prior art, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,168,644; 5,855,078; 5,873,185 and 6,286,234. A similar structure isfound in U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,651.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The motorcycle riding universe, like most others, is not a monolithicgroup in which all are alike. There is a segment of rough and tumbletypes, a segment of older middle class riders, a segment of riders ofwhat are known as sport bikes, and others. In one sense, this inventionis aimed at sport bike riders. Sport bike riders are characterized bybeing well dressed and being interested in the appearance of both themotorcycle and the rider and are accordingly a natural group of buyersof footwear protective devices to prevent damage to the rider's leftboot or shoe.

In this invention, a footwear protective device comprises a sole ofwater impermeable material, an upper of bodily flexible material and astrap for holding the device on the user's footwear. The sole ispreferably of rubber like material and is relatively stiff compared tothe upper. The sole accordingly makes the device quite durable. The soleextends rearwardly on the rider's footwear to a location short of theheel of the rider's shoe or boot. The sole is preferably rather thin sothe rider can walk with the footwear protector in place without noticingit is being worn.

The upper is preferably a fabric which tends to shed water and providesfor air circulation around and/or through the protective device. In apreferred embodiment, an open toe allows air passage through theprotective device cooling the rider's foot and allowing the upper to dryif it has become wet. The open toe also provides considerableflexibility so the upper conforms to shoe or boots of different design.The preferred embodiment also preferably provides a layer of insulation,at least on the side facing the transmission which acts to keep therider's foot cool during long rides. Other embodiments provide greaterair circulation and less insulation. The strap is designed to hold theprotective device comfortably on the rider's footwear with a minimum ofbother.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved protector thatis used to prevent damage to footwear of a motorcycle rider.

A further object of this invention is to provide a footwear protectorfor motorcycle riders which is inexpensive, durable, washable and actsto prevent damage to the rider's gear shifting shoe or boot.

Another object of this invention is to provide a footwear protectivedevice that may be made of different colors and/or different textures toprovide an attractive accessory for a motorcycle rider.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will becomemore apparent as this description proceeds, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a footwear protective device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the footwear protective device of FIG. 1,showing an adjustable strap splayed outwardly so it can be seen;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the footwear protective device of FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the footwear protective device ofFIG. 1, taken along line 4--4, as viewed in the direction indicated bythe arrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the footwear protector ofthis invention, taken substantially along line 5--5 of FIG. 1, as viewedin the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a footwear protective device 10 of thisinvention is illustrated. The device 10 comprises, as major components,a sole 12, an upper 14 and an adjustable strap 16 for securing thedevice 10 to a motorcycle rider's boot or shoe 18. The motorcyclerider's boot or shoe 18 is of conventional type including a sole 20, aheel 22, and an upper 24. As will be more fully apparent hereinafter, animportant feature of this invention is the sole 12 of the device 10terminates substantially forward of the heel 22 of the rider's footwear18.

The sole 12 is made of a durable, water impermeable material typical ofshoe soles in general, such as leather, soft plastic, rubber or the likeand is preferably a pair of thin flat rubber or rubber like sheets orsections 26, 28. As shown best in FIG. 5, the upper 14 is sewn to theuppermost sole section 26 by a row of stitches 30 and the sewn assemblyis glued or otherwise attached to the lowermost sole section 28. As willbecome more fully apparent hereinafter, the sole 12 is considerably morerigid than the upper 14 and is of the same order of stiffness as normalshoe soles.

The upper 14 is made of a bodily flexible material, preferably a pair offabric layers 32 and an interior foam insulating layer 34 as shown inFIG. 5. The fabric layers 32 are preferably smooth and inelastic so thedevice 10 more easily slips onto the footwear of the rider. The foamlayer 34 provides thermal insulation thereby minimizing heat transferfrom the transmission to the rider's foot. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, theupper 14 is made of a central panel 36 and two lateral panels 38, 40sewn together along seams 44, 46. It will accordingly be seen that theupper 14 provides a rearwardly open receptacle receiving the forward endof the rider's footwear as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3. Preferably,the upper provides an open toe 50 allowing air to flow through thereceptacle, around the rider's footwear thereby cooling the rider's footand promoting rider comfort. Suitable sewn seams 52, 54 terminate theedges of the upper 14 in a conventional manner.

The adjustable strap 16 may be of any suitable type or configuration tosecure the protective device 10 to the rider. A preferred arrangement isshown in FIGS. 1-4 where the strap 16 includes a first section 56attached to one side of the upper 14 and a second section 58 attached tothe other side of the upper 14. The first strap section 56 includes along piece 60 sewn to the upper 14 and extending generally parallel tothe sole 12. A short diagonal piece 62 sewn to the long piece 60 and tothe upper 14 at a location above the terminus of the long piece 60. Apair of hood-and-loop connectors 64 are provided to tie down the end ofthe long piece 60 as will become more fully apparent hereinafter. Thestrap 16 is adjustable in any suitable manner, as by making theconnectors 64 of considerable length, as will become more fully apparenthereinafter.

The second strap section 58 includes a first piece 66 sewn to the upper14 and generally parallel to the sole 12. A second shorter diagonalpiece 68 is sewn between the upper 14 and the first piece 66. A pair ofD-rings 70 are sewn into the end of the first piece 66 so the end of thestrap section 56 can be looped through the D-rings 70. By passing theend of strap section 56 through the D-rings 70 so the connectors 64abut, a loop is formed by the strap 16 around the back or heel of theupper 24 of the footwear 18 shown in FIG. 3. The size of the loop isadjustable because the connectors 64 are of considerable length and thuscan be overlapped to one degree or other. It will be seen that the looplies along a line 72 on the back of the footwear 18 and the sole 12terminates well forward of the heel 22. Thus, the sole 12 terminatesabout midway between the toe end of the device 10 and the heel 22, bywhich it is meant that the sole 12 extends between about 30-70% of thedistance between the toe end of the device 10 and the line 72. As seenbest in FIGS. 1-4, the pieces 62, 68 may comprise opposite ends of alength of strap passing under and sewn to the seam 54.

Use of the footwear protective device 10 should now be apparent. Therider puts his left foot into the receptacle provided by the upper 14 sothe toe of the shoe or boot 18 extends to or through the open toe 50.The strap 16 is threaded through the D-rings 70 to provide a loopextending around the heel of the rider's shoe 18 and then cinched up.The upper 14 covers the area from the rider's big toe and to where therider's leg begins. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, there is plenty of roomand plenty of material to abut and manipulate the gear shift lever 74.It will be seen that the upper 14 is perforate to allow easy air flowthrough the receptacle and around the rider's footwear 18.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is illustrated another embodiment of afootwear protective device 76 of this invention. The device 76 issubstantially identical to the device 10 except the upper 78 is made ofa combination fabric/foam insulating material 80 on the left and a largemesh fabric 82 on the right. The material 80 provides protection to therider's footwear and the mesh fabric 82 supports the edge of thematerial 80 and provides for air circulation around the rider'sfootwear.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is illustrated another embodiment of afootwear protective device 84 of this invention. The device 84 issubstantially identical to the device 76 except the mesh fabric 82 hasbeen replaced by a series of straps 86 sewn to the sole. The combinationfabric/foam insulating material 88 provides protection to the rider'sfootwear and the straps 86 support the edge of the material 88 andprovide for air circulation around the rider's footwear.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is illustrated another embodiment of afootwear protective device 90 of this invention. The device 84 issubstantially identical to the device 76 except the upper 92 comprises alarge mesh fabric 94 spanning the sides of the sole 96 and a leather orheavy vinyl pad 98 bonded to the mesh fabric 94. The pad 98 providesprotection to the rider's footwear and the mesh fabric 94 supports thepad 98 and provides air circulation around the rider's footwear. Thedevice 90 conveniently provides an open toe assisting the mesh fabric 94to conform to the shape of the rider's footwear.

Referring to FIG. 9, there is illustrated another embodiment of afootwear protective device 100 of this invention having a sole 102, anupper 104 and an adjustable strap 106. The device 100 may besubstantially identical to any of the devices 10, 76, 84, 90 except thestrap 106 is designed to pass under the rider's footwear 108 rather thanpast the rider's heel. Most shoes and boots with heels 110 have soles112 that are slightly concave thereby providing a recessed location 114for the strap 106. The strap 106 provides a pair of legs 116, 118connected to spaced locations on the upper 104. One of the legs 116includes one or more D-rings 120 for receiving an end of a strap section122 connected in a similar manner to the opposite side of the device100.

It will be seen that the soles of the various footwear protectivedevices 10, 76, 84, 90, 100 are generally flat in the sense that thesoles lack a heel of a thickness greater than the heels 22, 110 of theshoe or boot with which the protective devices are used. Partially forthis reason, a rider can walk wearing the protective devices and not beaware of wearing them.

Although this invention has been disclosed and described in itspreferred forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understoodthat the present disclosure of the preferred forms is only by way ofexample and that numerous changes in the details of operation and in thecombination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed.

1. A footwear protective device for protecting footwear while riding amotorcycle having a foot actuated gear shift actuator, the protectivedevice comprising a sole made of water impermeable material having aperiphery and a generally flat bottom; an upper of bodily flexiblematerial secured adjacent the periphery of the sole to provide arearwardly open receptacle for receiving a toe end of footwear of amotorcycle rider, the upper being perforate allowing air movementadjacent the footwear of the rider, the upper being substantially moreflexible than the sole; and an adjustable strap secured to theprotective device providing a loop for extending around the footwear ofthe rider for attaching the protective device to the rider, the loophaving a maximum distance from the toe, the sole terminating aboutmidway between the maximum distance of the loop and the toe.
 2. Thefootwear protective device of claim 1 wherein the sole comprises anuppermost sole section sewn to the upper by a line of stitches and alowermost sole section adhesively secured to the uppermost sole sectionand covering a lower portion of the line of stitches.
 3. The footwearprotective device of claim 2 wherein the lowermost sole section is madeof a rubber like material.
 4. The footwear protective device of claim 1wherein the protective device is washable.
 5. The footwear protectivedevice of claim 1 wherein the upper is fabric.
 6. The footwearprotective device of claim 5 wherein the fabric is inelastic.
 7. Thefootwear protective device of claim 5 further comprising a foaminsulating layer inside the fabric.
 8. The footwear protective device ofclaim 1 wherein the adjustable strap connects to the upper.
 9. Thefootwear protective device of claim 8 wherein the adjustable strapcomprises a first section on one side of the upper including a firstforked portion having first and second legs attached to the upper atspaced locations and a second section on an opposite side of the upperincluding a second forked portion having third and fourth legs attachedto the upper at spaced locations, the first forked portion terminatingin a ring, the second forked portion terminating in a single long armwhich can be passed through the ring.
 10. The footwear protective deviceof claim 9 wherein the long arm includes a first hook-and-loop portionon a terminus thereof and a mating hook-and-loop portion intermediatethe terminus and the second forked portion.
 11. The footwear protectivedevice of claim 1 wherein the upper provides an open toe allowing airmovement through the receptacle.
 12. The footwear protective device ofclaim 11 wherein the open toe of the upper contributes to flexibility ofthe upper allowing the upper to conform to footwear of differentconfiguration.
 13. The footwear protective device of claim 1 wherein theupper comprises a mesh fabric allowing air movement adjacent thefootwear of the rider.
 14. The footwear protective device of claim 1wherein the upper comprises an insulated fabric on a side of the upperthat will be contacted by the gear shift actuator and a large meshfabric on an opposite side of the upper.
 15. The footwear protectivedevice of claim 1 wherein the upper comprises a large mesh fabricspanning the periphery of the sole and a pad bonded to the mesh fabricfor engaging the gear shift actuator.
 16. In combination, footwear of amotorcycle rider including a first upper having a toe, a first heelportion and a first sole having a first heel, a footwear protectivedevice for protecting the footwear while riding a motorcycle having afoot actuated gear shift actuator, the protective device comprising asecond sole made of water impermeable material having a periphery and agenerally flat bottom having a rear edge spaced from the first heel; asecond upper of bodily flexible material secured adjacent the peripheryof the second sole to provide a rearwardly open receptacle receiving thetoe, the second upper being perforate allowing air movement adjacent thefootwear, the second upper being substantially more flexible than thesecond sole; and an adjustable strap secured to the protective deviceproviding a loop extending around the footwear attaching the protectivedevice to the footwear, the loop having a maximum distance from the toe,the sole terminating about midway between the maximum distance of theloop and the toe.
 17. The footwear protective device of claim 16 whereinthe loop extends around and abuts the first heel.
 18. The footwearprotective device of claim 16 wherein the loop extends around thefootwear between the second heel and the rear edge of the second sole.19. In combination, footwear of a motorcycle rider including a firstupper having a toe, a first heel portion and a first sole having a firstheel, a footwear protective device for protecting the footwear whileriding a motorcycle having a foot actuated gear shift actuator, theprotective device comprising a second sole made of water impermeablematerial having a periphery and a generally flat bottom having a rearedge spaced from the first heel; a second upper of bodily flexiblematerial secured adjacent the periphery of the second sole to provide arearwardly open receptacle receiving the toe, the second upper beingperforate allowing air movement adjacent the footwear, the second upperbeing substantially more flexible than the second sole; and anadjustable strap secured to the protective device providing a loopextending around the footwear attaching the protective device to thefootwear, the loop extends around the footwear between the second heeland the rear edge of the second sole.
 20. The method of protectingfootwear of a motorcycle rider from damage caused by shifting a footshiftable transmission lever, the footwear comprising a first toe, firstsole, a first heel projecting downwardly from the first sole and a firstupper including a first heel portion, comprising providing a footwearprotective device comprising a second toe, a second sole made of waterimpermeable material, a second upper of bodily flexible material securedto the second sole to provide a rearwardly open receptacle for receivingthe toe of the rider's footwear, the second upper being perforateallowing air movement adjacent the footwear of the rider, the upperbeing substantially more flexible than the sole, and an adjustable strapsecured to the protective device providing a loop for extending aroundthe rider's footwear for attaching the protective device to the rider'sfootwear; placing the footwear protective device on the rider's footwearand placing the adjustable strap around the motorcycle rider so thesecond sole terminates between the second toe and the second heel so therider can comfortably walk on the protective device and the protectivedevice prevents substantial injury to the rider's footwear.